Nine Mile panel urges counties to survey road

One of the beautiful views people who tour Nine Mile canyon can see in their travels.

The members of the Nine Mile advisory committee supported surveying the road through canyon at a meeting on April 7.

The survey would be performed by Carbon and Duchesne counties.

The process of drafting a letter supporting the survey began at the last meeting on March 3.

Last week, the panel finalized letters to the commissioners of Carbon and Duchesne counties as well as the Carbon County Recreation and Transportation Special Service District to support a survey of the road through the canyon from Wellington to Myton.

The letters recognized the importance of the canyon in Carbon and Duchesne counties as a unique resource. The committee also encouraged the counties and the local special service district to support the conception, study and funding of the survey.

The original letters had not been addressed to Duchesne County government.

Carbon Commissioners Steve Burge and Bill Krompel suggested that a letter be addressed directly to Duchesne County officials.

Duchesne officials would need to be involved in the approval and funding of a survey of a county road.

"[The special service district board] has the legal authority to take on recreation and transportation projects within their boundary, which is for the most part Carbon County. But I'm not sure they have authority to fund projects outside their boundary," explained Krompel.

"For Carbon County commission's role in this, we would have to determine the cost, so we could supply [the special service district board] with that additional information, and then ask Duchesne if they would be willing to not only support this from their side, but to perhaps even contribute to a pro rata sharing of this endeavor. It's beneficiary to both counties," continued Krompel.

In other business, the board also heard from Rick Carlson, a representatives from American Refining Group, and Ellis and Jason Pierce, representing Golden West Industries, concerning a product that could help control dust along the canyon road.

The product, called PennzSuppress, claims advantages over magnesium chloride, the current product the county is using. PennzSuppress is a petroleum resin product that is distributed on a road using a lay-down truck.

The maker of PennzSuppress claims that their product is safe for the environment. The company also claims that it increases traction on the road, resulting in increased stopping ability.

"It's like asphalt," said Carlson.

Carlson told board that he had driven approximately thirty miles of the unimproved Nine Mile Canyon Road to survey the condition and composition of the road, and suggested that approximately 80 percent of the road is in a condition and composition that it would require minimal work to prepare for the product.

The road would need to be crowned and graded to prepare it for application.

Jason Pierce estimated that the price for the product would be approximately $2,464. That does not include the cost of application or preparation.

The makers of PennzSuppress claim that the initial cost is more than an application of magnesium chloride, but that maintenance applications are less expensive. A maintenance application is estimated to be needed after 4,000 to 7,000 vehicle passes.

"You'll see the results immediately in the reduction of dust and the improvement of the road," said Ellis Pierce.

The advisory board has no decision-making power over the road and made no decision whether to support or oppose the use of the product on the road. The county agreed to put a counter on the road to measure traffic on the road. Both Krompel and Burge expressed interest in applying a test strip of approximately a mile or two and contacting current users of the product to discuss their experience with it.